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Dwarves
Dwarves are some of the earliest known inhabitants of this world. They refer to themselves as the 'Children of the Mountain'. They are renown craftsmen and miners. The seat of Dwarven power is Krgz, a great city built into the side of a mountain. Much remains in question about the Dwarves, as they are a very secretive people. The War with the Elves Around 4000 years ago, a great and terrible war between the Elves and the Dwarves took place. Dwarven legends tell of the Elves riding great monsters that belched fire and smoke into battle. Though the Dwarves were able to eventually fend off the great onslaught, every settlement outside of Krgz was razed by the elves. Many Dwarves still hold this near genocide against the Elves to this day. Mountain and Hill After the war with the Elves, Dwarven culture was changed irrevocably. The Dwarves became a much more defensive, secretive, and militaristic people. Eventually the Dwarves became a caste based society ruled by a military junta, known as the Council of Order. The upper class of this society made their homes deep inside the safety of their mountain home, while the lower castes remained above ground to do farming, gathering lumber, and trading. Many of those in the lower castes became discontented with the social inequity in their society and fled this unjust society. This division became known as 'the Sundering'. The Dwarves who left became known as "Hill Dwarves" while those who stayed became the "Mountain Dwarves". Since the Sundering, the Hill Dwarves and Mountain Dwarves have become physically distinct in appearance. While Hill Dwarves resemble Humans far more closely with similar hair colors and shades of skin, the Mountain Dwarves have shock white beards and grey skin. Mountain Dwarves Though the Dwarves of Krgz still hold great enmity towards the Hill Dwarves, they are more willing to trust the Hill Dwarves than any other surface dwellers and trade with them primarily. The Mountain Dwarves seldom leave their great stronghold city and still refuse to allow in any outsiders. Hill Dwarves After leaving Krgz, the Hill Dwarves built homes in the surrounding forests and plains. When first contact was made with the Ancarans, the Hill Dwarves quickly became their allies and were able to establish a place as merchant middlemen between the Mountain Dwarves and the Hill Dwarves. Largely this involved trading new crops for high quality minerals. This relationship became immensely more profitable in 2071 N.C. when the outlanders arrived. The Mountain Dwarves were willing to trade large amounts of the magic illupite ore in exchange for advanced technology. In 2138 N.C. the Hill Dwarves helped establish a three way partnership between themselves, The Ancaran Republic, and the Mountain Dwarves. This event was known as the Treaty of Brfnn. The treaty has held in place for 400 years and allowed for growth and cooperation between all of its member states. Religion While the Hill Dwarves have largely adopted the Ancaran Gods, the Dwarves of Krgz instead worship the spirits of their ancestors. Due to how militaristic and caste-centric the Dwarves have become, this has lead to famous Dwarven Generals and heroes achieving God-like status in their histories and their descendants enjoy the social perks of this.